It was a move which raised plenty of eyebrows considering Anzhi's standing on the European stage and gave credence to the argument that Eto'o was more interested in Russian rubles than ramming home goals in one of the continent's top divisions.

Such accusations rile the 32-year-old, who is adamant that he made the move to an unheralded team in Dagestan for the challenge rather than the financial rewards provided by the club's oil tycoon chairman Suleiman Kerimov.

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Charity

The "Fundacion Privada Samuel Eto'o," which was established in 2006, helps provide basic healthcare and works on improving social inclusion.

So while Eto'o is aware of the exorbitant wages he has received, he is equally aware of just how vital that money has been in helping those chasing the dream of becoming Africa's next superstar football player.

"We've done quite a few things with ambulances, operation centers...we've built hospitals in the interior of the country.," he points out.

"I have a lot of boys who play in Barcelona's youth academy -- I have another named Unlinga who plays also for Malaga -- all of these come from my foundation.

"I have a lad who's a good forward, he's doing quite well, named Odongu. I have a kid named Abanya who's a center back.

"All of them come from my foundation and it's the joy that I try to share -- the opportunity -- that I want to give to each child.

"They themselves have to fight for their place, but the first opportunity is what I try to give them."

Eto'o, now at Chelsea following his move to London last month, has reportedly taken a huge pay cut from the estimated $26.8 million a year he was earning at Anzhi.

Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Perez's 11 'Galacticos' – Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid following his transfer from Tottenham. As this gallery shows, Real is not averse to splashing the cash.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Luis Figo – In arguably his boldest transfer move, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez broke the world transfer record to sign Luis Figo from archrivals Barcelona in 2000. The capture of Figo ushered in the era of the "Galacticos" and was symptomatic of the high spending which has characterized both of Perez's terms as Real president.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Zinedine Zidane – The fee Real paid for French world and European champion Zinedine Zidane in July 2001 eclipsed the one forked out for Figo one year earlier. Following his transfer from Juventus, Zidane went on to score what is widely regarded as one of the finest goals in history as Real beat Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Ronaldo – Prolific Brazil striker Ronaldo was brought in from Inter Milan. He went on to score 83 goals in 127 games for Real.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

David Beckham – Football star and fashion icon David Beckham swapped Manchester United for Real in 2003. After four years in the Spanish capital, Beckham headed to the United States, joining the Los Angeles Galaxy.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 6: David Beckham of Real Madrid gets set for a throw in as he is closely watched by the media during the Spanish Primera Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Nou Camp Stadium on December 6, 2003 in Barcelona, Spain.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Michael Owen – Beckham's compatriot Michael Owen followed him to Madrid in 2004. Owen was signed from Liverpool but headed back to England just one year later to sign for Newcastle United.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Kaka – The transfer record was shattered once again in 2009 when Real snared Brazilian playmaker Kaka from AC Milan.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Cristiano Ronaldo – Just three weeks later, Real once again set a new benchmark for a football transfer fee. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real from Manchester United on June 26, 2009 for a reported fee of $120 million. Ronaldo has been the poster boy of Perez's second spell as president.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Karim Benzema – France striker Karim Benzema was a big-money recruit from Lyon and was signed in the same transfer window as Kaka and Ronaldo.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Mesut Ozil – German playmaker Mesut Ozil joined Real from Werder Bremen in 2010. However, Bale's arrival signaled the end of Ozil's time at the Bernabeu and he joined Spurs' rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Luka Modric – Real negotiated with Tottenham in 2012, eventually convincing the London to part with Croatia midfielder Luka Modric for $50 million.

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Photos:Florentino's 11 galacticos

Frustrating Florentino – Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had held off Real's advances for Modric until late in the summer 2012 transfer window, and he again made the Spanish side wait for Bale while he strengthened his squad with several big-money buys.

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Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

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Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

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Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

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Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

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Photos:Korea United: Football hero's ambitious goal

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Gone but not forgotten – Christian 'Chucho' Benitez passed away Sunday after suffering heart failure. The 27-year-old, who was playing in Qatar, was admitted to hospital with severe stomach pains. Benitez died just hours after making his debut for new club, El Jaish.

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Benitez the Blue – Benitez spent a year on loan in the English Premier League with Birmingham City in 2009-2010. He made 36 appearances for City, scoring four goals and came up against Ecuador teammate Antonio Valencia, who plays for Manchester United.

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

National hero – Benitez scored 24 goals in 58 international appearances for Ecuador, following in the footsteps of his father Ermen Benitez, who also represented the national team. Last season, he helped Mexican side Club America win the Clausura title.

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Foe remembered – Marc-Vivien Foe died at the age of 28 after collapsing during a Confederations Cup semifinal while playing for Cameroon. Foe, who played for Manchester City and Lyon amongst others, was treated on the pitch but died after resuscitation attempts failed.

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Puerta's passing – Antonio Puerta died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 22 while playing for Spanish club side Sevilla. The defender collapsed 35 minutes into the first game of the 2007-2008 season and was rushed to hospital where he passed away.

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Photos:The life of Christian 'Chucho' Benitez

Jarque tragedy – Former Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque died after suffering a cardiac arrest following a training session in Italy in 2009. Club doctors and paramedics tried to revive Jarque but without success. He was 26.

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Instead, he has signed a one-year deal at Stamford Bridge thought to be worth around $11 million with Anzhi keen to offload the forward and ease pressure on its wage bill.

The move to the west London club came as something of a surprise, not least because of the striker's former disdain for a club which he said, "I'd rather sell groundnuts in my village than to play for a pathetic team like Chelsea."

That comment came following Chelsea's Champions League victory over Barcelona in 2005 where Eto'o was left seething at the tactics of a certain Jose Mourinho - now in his second spell as manager of the London club.

After the tie, which Chelsea won, Eto'o told a Spanish media outlet: "Chelsea going through is a disaster for football.

"If this team wins the Champions League, it would make you want to retire."

Mourinho

Little did Eto'o know then that five years later he would be exchanging love letters and text messages with Mourinho as Inter Milan embarked on an astonishing run of success which culminated with victory in the 2010 Champions League final.

In July 2009, the Cameroon striker was sent packing by Barcelona as the Catalan club secured the services of the enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Eto'o, was seen as surplus to requirements and moved to Serie A to team up with Mourinho -- a partnership which flourished even after the two parted ways.

While he is reticent when it comes to talking about former Barca boss Pep Guardiola, "I don't talk about him," he says, Eto'o is unyielding in his praise for Mourinho.

"There is only one Jose Mourinho,' Eto'o once said about the Portuguese coach. "I have played under a lot of great coaches but there is no other character in the game like Jose."

The two men helped Inter win the treble during their time together at the San Siro and Eto'o even revealed that he attempted to persuade Mourinho to move to Anzhi with him.

"Since we met at Inter, he has always been in my life," he said.

"We talk almost all the time -- he sent me a good luck message before a match and I'd send him something, he can ask me something or I can do the same.

"And I'm going to tell you a secret. You know that I spoke with the boss about coming with me to Anzhi? Because I thought he was the right man for the job and situation. Yes, I said this to him."

Champions

Mourinho, now back at Chelsea following his departure from Real Madrid, will hope the two can combine again with the club aiming to challenge for both the Premier League and Champions League titles.

Eto'o sees similarities between this Chelsea side and the Inter team which conquered Europe in 2010 -- and believes another Champions League title could be on the horizon.